Because of my hair
by Rakiku Inoe
Summary: To escape her fate of being a concubine to a prince she never met, Sakura, a young pharmacist from the Echo kingdom, runs away from her home and gets into countless adventures with people she never anticipated to meet. AU (middle-age/fantasy-ish settlement) NarutoxSakura, slight SasukexSakura and probably more Sakura (or not) ' Maybe I'll add Akatsuki to the mix...
1. Preview

**Nanananananananananana, BATMAN! **

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**Sorry, I've got one of my hyper moods. *Ermhemblemhemgrhem* I'm alright now, we can continue.**

**So, another story, huh? Will someone please tell me why oh why do I write more and more stories when I'm not even able to update them afterwards? Hm? HM?! Gah... Why am I even trying...**

**Anyways, this one is inspired by a manga called Akagami no Shirayukihime (I recommend it, btw) and it's taking place in that middle-age/fantasy verse, so it's completely AU, no awesome ninjas leaping through the trees, sorry but no. Actually, the only Naruto-ish thing in here will be the characters and their relationships (till some point, it's a romance so there are gonna be pairings which doesn't exist in the Naruto manga) and yeah, that's pretty much it.**

**Also, this is just a preview, I'll try and make actual chapters a bit longer, although I can't promise anything. Afterall, English isn't my native language, even if I love learning it, and it still takes time to write something this long.**

**Constructive critism is welcomed.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Naruto series, Masashi Kishimoto does. Also, the plot is partially from a manga called Akagami no Shirayukihime, which I surprisingly don't own either. I don't own the following songs. **

**Rating: T - just a normal stuff, I won't deny I like reading some M rated stories but I just don't feel like writing one.**

**Summary: To escape her fate of being a concubine to a prince she never met, Sakura, a young pharmacist from the Echo kingdom, runs away from her home and gets into countless adventures with people she never anticipated to meet.**

**Songs I listened to: Florence and the Machine - Cosmic love**

**The XX's - Crystalized**

**Skins cast - Wild world**

**Glee cast - She's not there**

**Preview**

Sasuke was pacing back and forth in his chamber angrily, stomping his feet every step he took. He was waiting for full ten minutes for his companion to come but Suigetsu was nowhere to be found. Finally, he stopped and settled himself in a comfy chair, but still his fingers tapped on the rest impatiently. Afterall, he was a royalty and wasn't used to waiting. He got everything he wanted with a simple snap of his fingers.

Especially after his parents death. It wasn't as sad of an event as it may sound, mainly because he was raised by nursemaids and his parents saw scarcely. When they were killed in a fire two years ago, his older brother Itachi took over the kingdom of Echo and he was left on his own. He was seventeen by then and like most of other boys this age, he occupied himself by chasing after girls. Only year after, he was known as a man with the biggest harem of the most beautiful women in the land of Echo.

But after some time, he got bored of a simple beauty and started seeking something different, something unique. Women of special features, with different shades of skin or unique hair color. His servants travelled the land, searching for rare beauties in every city and village, but Sasuke still wasn't satisfied. He still hasn't found what he was looking for, a girl who would left him speechless.

A sound of a door opening pulled him back to reality and when he looked up, he saw Suigetsu, one of his knights and closest friends, make his way across the luxorious room to the chair he was sitting in. He stopped in front of him and made a quick and tacky bow, before straightening and pushing his light blue bangs out of his eyes.

Sasuke glared at him and spat: "I've been waiting for at least two hours Suigetsu!"

Said man only grinned, revealing his sharp pointed teeth. "Exaggerating much, Sasuke?"

Sasuke's brow twitched. "Tch. You better have good news for me."

Suigetsu's grin only widdened. "Actually, yes. I searched the whole kingdom but finally I found her. She's been living in the capital the whole time and man, she's something. Not your ordinary girl, that's for sure."

Sasuke was on the edge now. The excitement and adrenaline from having another trophy in his collection was nearly unbearable so he stood up and began pacing around the room all over again. He didn't concern himself with the thoughts such as what would happen if the girl refused to become his concubine. He was confident that his looks were irresistible and every women could be bought with money.

He spun around on his heel so he was facing Suigetsu again. "So? Did you bring her? What's her name? Her background? What's so special about her?"

Suigetsu just raised his arms to stop Sasuke's flow of questions and laughed a bit. "Slow down, princeling, I don't know much myself. I was just returning from my journey around the kingdom and was riding through the city gates when I heard a child crying. Me being the caring and nice guy I am, I went to see what's going on and there she was, consoling that crying lil' brat. And when she looked at me it was like I was struck by lightning, frozen in place. I never knew someone could look so striking, so exotic. Then she just smiled and left, but I knew you'd want her so I followed her. Turns out she's the pharmacist's daughter. They moved in a year or so ago."

Sasuke was glad he found out at least something, but the most important question stayed unanswered. "This is all really nice, but damn, how does she look like?"

Sasuke pouted and mumbled to himself: "Man, way to be a killjoy..." but when he caught eye of Sasuke's death glare, he quickly continued. "Alright, alright, no need to get violent, ok? So, she's really pretty, I mean the face, but nothing too uncommon. She's more on the cute side, ya know, small in heigh, lean and all fragile looking... a pretty little thing she is. But her main feature are her hair. They're pink! Like a cotton candy they sell in the city during a carnival, or the color of cherry blossoms in the spring... also, she's got beautiful eyes! It's that undescribable shade of seafoam or emerald or whatever... And they're all big and happy and shining... well, it's a sight." he ended his speech with a dreamy sigh which just put Sasuke more on the edge.

"And the name?! What's her name?!" yelled Sasuke, his impatience with the blue haired knight driving him insane.

"Oh, right, the name!" Suigetsu faked a surprised expression. "It's Haruno Sakura if I remember correctly."

Sasuke fell back into the chair again and crossed his legs, his hands supporting his chin. "Go get her immediately."

Suigetsu looked up, startled. "Oi, Sasuke! You know I just returned and I'm tired as hell, send Juugo or something!"

Sasuke just closed his eyes, and shouted: "Enough! I said go get her immediately!"

That shut Suigetsu up and he was out of the chamber in a seconds. And now, when he was finally alone, Sasuke crossed the room and entered the balcony overlooking the capital city of Echo. Focusing on the people running deep down in the streets, he tasted her name as if it was a fine wine.

"Haruno Sakura."

And soon, she would be his...

**Ok, I know, that ending couldn't get more clish****é**** but hey, it's the tension, the tension! :D Rrrrrrrrright...**

**Well, that was for the preview and the first chapter will be up... in a year? Two? Who knows? No seriously people, my (nonexistent) speed of updating is more than disturbing so don't get your panties in a knot. Although, it's not even that good... but I tried and spent a lot of time with it, if two hours counts as a long time.**

**Yea, had some motivation... Aaaaaaaaaand it's gone! **

**Anywho, hope ya liked it, have a nice almost weekend (we've got a day off tomorrow, woohoo! - but I'm still ill so it doesn't matter... =.=') and REVIEW please!**

**Thanks, Inoe o_O***


	2. Chapter I

Constructive critism is welcomed.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Naruto series, Masashi Kishimoto does. Also, the plot is partially from a manga called Akagami no Shirayukihime, which I surprisingly don't own either. I don't own the following songs.

Rating: T - just a normal stuff, I won't deny I like reading some M rated stories but I just don't feel like writing one.

Summary: To escape her fate of being a concubine to a prince she never met, Sakura, a young pharmacist from the Echo kingdom, runs away from her home and gets into countless adventures with people she never anticipated to meet.

**- Oho! My fist youtube subscribe is a pair of girls called nanakitty (nanalew/meekakitty) and they are awesome. Just go look at some of their videos, I can't even describe this...**

**Family force - Zombie  
Relient K - This is the end  
Soundtrack from LOTR II  
Awolnation - Sail  
Pink elephants dubstep**

The sun was almost setting when Sakura finally decided to head home. She's been out picking up herbs all day and now, when her basket was nearly overflowing, it was time to go. Her grandfather must be waiting for her return, or to be exact, for the dinner she's going to make as soon as she gets home.

She got up from her kneeling position next to a particularly large bush of chamomile, dusted herself off, picked up her cape and basket and quickly rushed down a small path towards the city.

When she exited the woods and saw the city lit with last rays of sun, she panicked. _Oh no! The gates are closing with sunset! I'm not going to make it! _ She darted towards the gates, her fear of staying outside the city walls adding on her speed until she ran as fast as she never did before.

Oh yes, there was plenty of stories about the world outside the city walls after nightfall. Some were purely of educational purpose, to frighten the children so they won't get lost or stay stuck outside. But then there was this happened-to-a-friend-of-a-friend kind of stories, in which there was a mad wolf lurking around the city, a demon who possessed any and every living thing that came to contact with him and even a bitter old witch, who kidnapped innocent people and used them as her lab rats.

Needless to say, Sakura was greatly relieved to find the gates still open. The guards were just about to shut them when she came to view, waving her hand and shouting at the top of her lungs. The two young soldiers exchanged amused glances as they watched the rose-haired pharmacist make her way to them. The hood of her cape was falling off so her bright pink hair were showing, her one hand was high above her head, flailing like some kind of soft creamy white colored flag and the other one was gripping a large basket from which occasionally fell a plant, forming a funny trail of green behind her.

At last, she stopped in front of them and leaned on her knees, panting hard. The taller of the guards leaned on his pike. "Oh, lady Sakura, wandering around the woods again, I see..."

The pinkette looked up, emerald green flashing through her lashes and her hood falling to her face comically. She pouted and straightened her back, so she now stood tall, proud... and facing the shorter man's chest. Or rather, woman's. Her brows furrowed as she had to tilt her head even more to see her face.

Then she caught a glimpse of crimson and was roughly pushed back. "Stupid little girl, what would you do if you stayed outside?! Always running this late, one day you won't make it and the wolf will eat you!" The large man on her left placed a hand on her shoulder to silence her. "Karin, please, just give her a chance to explain herself, I'm sure she's not doing it on purpose, right, Sakura?" And he shot her a shy but mischievous smile which she gladly returned. "That's right sir Juugo! I was just fetching some supplies for my grandpa, he received a commission for a bunch of potions, so he needed some herbs and since he's old..." she was interrupted by Karin, who rolled her eyes. "We get it, girl, just get in before it gets dark. We're already late as it is..." Juugo shot her another smile, apologizing this time and Sakura quickly excused herself and took off into the direction of the pharmacist's.

Juugo was watching her leave, never taking her eyes off of her until she disappeared from view, but even then a smile stayed on his lips. He liked the girl since their first meeting - she was a cheerful and bright person, like a little sister he never had. He looked over his shoulder to Karin. She was also watching the girl, her expression now softened to something almost gentle. He knew that Karin wasn't the woman she tried to look like, she wasn't that coldhearted and cruel as everyone thought she was. She was just building a protecting wall around her, just like the city walls were protecting the town. Because she was hurt in the past. And everyone who gets hurt at some point, will try to not get hurt ever again. And he also knew that the coldness with which she treated Sakura was just a disguised worry, for she didn't want the girl to get hurt as well.

He sighed. _ Women sure have it tough..._

"Grandpa! I'm home grandpa!" Sakura opened the front door and took her shoes off before setting the basket next to a pharmacy counter and lighting a few candles. There was nobody in the shop so she searched whole ground floor and then the second floor, where their bedrooms were. Nothing.

Puzzled, she descended the stairs to the shop and when everything remained the same, she decided to start working on the potions her grandfather was about to do. She's been taught the art of healing since she was a little girl and once they moved to the capital city half a year ago, her training begun in full force.

Suddenly, the door shot open and her grandfather stood in the doorframe. "Sakura! Are you alright?!" Sakura looked up from grinding some dried mandrake and smiled, relief showing on her face. "Grandpa, I was so worried! Where were you?" The old man, Seji was his name, quickly stepped into the room and locked the door behind him before striding towards his granddaughter and gently patting her head. "I'm so glad you're fine..."

Sakura just stared at Seji. "Grandpa? What's going on? Where were you?" Seji sighed and looked down as if trying to avoid the question. "Well, this afternoon I set out to fetch some ingredients from market and heard... talking." He was interrupted by Sakura's melodious laugh. "You mean gossip? Since when do you care about what other people think?" Seji raised his hand to silence her. "Sakura, let me finish. You know gossips are always based on truth. Well... It is said that the prince found himself another mistress." Sakura snorted. "No kidding, that guy finds someone at least once a month. It's nothing we should concern ourselves with, really."

Seji's hand met his face rather quickly. "Sakura please, this is not a laughing matter! This time it's supposed to be a special girl from the capital, do you realize what that means?!" Sakura returned to grinding the mandrake, uninterested. "You're overreacting, grandpa, there must be tons of special girls in here, there's no way that maggot would choose me." But his granddaughters obvious ease didn't comfort the old man, more the other way around. "Just be careful for awhile, okay? Were that cape I gave you, just to be safe..."

When he looked from the wooden floor he was examining the whole time, he was met with a pair of the brightest aquamarine orbs. She smiled. "Don't worry, gramps, I'm going to be alright."

~~~o~~~

That night, Sakura had the strangest of dreams.  
She was in a forest, it was very similar to the one she goes collecting herbs, but still it was different. There was something off, something painfully artificial about it.

Then it clicked and Sakura realized it's because of the silence. _Deafening silence, _ as someone might say. There were no birds singing, no leafs rustling in the wind and no branches cracking under her feet. It was just her, the trees and uncomfortably sterile nothingness.

"H-hallo! Is anybody here?" she asked, slightly shakily.

No answer.

"Um, grandpa? Juugo? Anybody? Hallo!"

Again, no answer. And then, silently, as if nothing happened (and, in fact, it did not), there was a black mist shading the sun and it spread, all around towards her and she ran and ran and by that time it turned into that kind of stereotypical running dream, when you know you've got to get away but you can't move from a place.

She woke up covered with sweat and quickly went to fill a wooden tub in the corner of her room, to get cleaned up before she set out to another day of running errands.

~~~o~~~

"Ah, it's so nice outside today..."sighed Sakura and stretched her arms behind her back. The cash she earned be selling their goods at market today was safely tucked away in her bag and she started skipping as she was nearing the pharmacist's. The hood of the beige cape she promised to wear all day was bouncing up and down but she paid it no mind as their front door came to view.

And she abruptly stopped. There were two soldiers and a knight with light blue hair, one of princes attendants, and they were talking to her grandfather. No, they were arguing with him. Sakura wasn't stupid. She knew the moment she saw them standing there that Seji's worries were justified. They were here for her. Well, damn.

"Shut your mouth, stupid old geezer, we're not here to buy anything! Where is Haruno Sakura!" that was one of the soldiers, a bulky, stupid looking man with brown tanned skin and very short hair, so the ugly shape of his head was showing.

"I already told you I-" _slap!_

That was her grandfather. And that sound that silenced him was a slap.

Sakura was fuming. They dared to hit an old man! her grandfather, the man who raised her! The man who was her entire family! She knew she doesn't have any other option. If she went there and helped her grandpa, she would get caught and dragged to the princes chambers and probably even his bed, willing or not. (Definitely not.) And if she ran away now, they would arrest her grandpa and maybe even torture him, and that Sakura couldn't allow. Ever. Which left the only option...

"Hey, you! Yea, the stupid looking one! Looking for me?!" And she casted one last look at her grandfathers face, which wore a terrified expression, before she turned on her heel darted off to the busy streets, her hood falling off in the process and her long, wavy, silk smooth hair flailing behind her like a veil.

Then - "It's her! It's the girl, catch her, you maggots!"

She was rushing through the crowd, thinking about what she's going to do. What could she do? She can't stay in the city, that much was clear. It would be for best if she leaved the country and settled in some nice village somewhere in the Land of Ignis. But how will she get there, when all she has at the moment is a cash? She's got to save something, and she'll need food and clothes and maybe even some weapon... _Ah! Got it! _She afforded one look over her shoulder to see where are her pursuers and nearly squeaked in panic when she saw them so close.

When she got to a small square with a fountain, she without thinking jumped into the cold water and ran across the square, finally losing the soldiers and quickly ducking to a nearest alley. She climbed on a bunch of barrels standing under a small storage, then on the storage roof and at last, on the roof of the house. And in a while she was already making her way to the lower part of city, where her friend's house was.

~~~o~~~

"Sakura, what the hell are you doing here? And why are you all drenched like this?!" Muchi, her dark haired friend and a daughter of a local weapons maker asked the first thing she saw her.

"Please, don't ask, just let me in. I'm in a trouble. Big time." Muchi only rose an eyebrow before letting her in and offering her a seat. "Okay, spill it, girl."

Sakura inwardly smiled, this was so like her friend. She was always a rude, uncomfortably sincere and violent person. But also very loyal to her friends and that's exactly why Sakura went to her. And maybe also because they were very rich and could provide her with some stuff.

"Well, it's kind of hard to, erm, explain. It seems the prince wants me to be one of his concubines... he sent soldiers to get me. And... em, I kind of insulted one of them and then ran away, which leads to me being here and my grandpa hopefully safe... Now that I think about it, it doesn't sound too bad. Or does it?" She added when she saw Muchi's expression.

"It most certainly does. Are you telling me you have a royal police force after you, a perverted-but-still-damn-smexy princeling lusting after your fine ass, and you are at my house because..."

"...because I need to leave the country as soon as possible so that my fine ass, as you so beautifully expressed herself, won't belong to that bastard." Sakura finished, her cheeks still a little red from the ass comment her friend made.

"Ok."

"Ok?"

"Yes, dammit, I'm going to help you. There is a soup at the stove, suit yourself. I'm going to fetch you some equipment."

"Thanks so much Muchi! I love youuuuuu!" wailed Sakura between her hungry soup-inhaling.

Muchi just smiled sadly while walking up the stairs. _This is probably the last time I see her._ She thought.

~~~o~~~

"I packed your back; you've got some of my clothes, a blanket, your cash from earlier, food and water and plenty of your herby-sacks... also a rope and a boomerang, but I doubt you'll need that. You can't even hold it properly. Also-"and she reached for something hidden in a bag by her side. "Here's a throwing dagger, put it in your boot. This is a hunting long knife, strap it to your thigh, and here's a bow. I know you can't use it, but these things are expensive these days, so just find someone who can shoot one and learn how to do it. You won't have to buy one. Or you can sell it. Your choice."

And she looked at Sakura in a way that told her: _Don't you ever dare to sell this piece of polished wood, ya'hear me?! _ And she got the message.

Lastly, she wrapped a coat with a hood much bigger around her. "This one will hide your hair better. And it'll mask you better in a forest than your beige one. Don't lose it, okay?" She looked at her pink haired friend and it almost brought tears to her eyes. Almost.

Sakura, on the other hand, had a tear tracks on her pale cheeks and she hugged her friend tightly. "I don't want to go, Muchi! I like it here! I'm gonna miss you and grandpa and everyone so much!" Muchi patted her head and then shoved her away, as if to not fall out of character. "You've got to leave now, Sakura, or you won't make it through the gates. It's going to be alright, okay? Write me a letter and who knows? Maybe we'll meet again..." one last smile and then she shut the door.

Sakura took a deep breath, spun on her heels and jogged down the street, towards the city gates. It seemed like nobody was there but she knew Juugo was watching her. She also knew that by the time she walked through the gates, the gatekeepers were already given a command to catch her if she tried to leave the city. As she walked past, she muttered a silent: "Thank you." before taking off in the direction of the Land of Ignis.

To the wild.

**Ugh, totally exhausted by know but also totally satisfied with myself. Not only did I manage to update in quite the record breaking time but the chapter is also super long (for me)! Ah, I feel great...**

**So, what's up? Well, I started reading a fanfiction called My immortal, you know, the 'worst fanfiction ever written?'. A Harry Potter fanfic (I'm ashamed to say it's also my first HP one - any recommendations?) and yes, it's really horrible. Literally killing my brain cells off.**

**What else is new? Well, ladies and gentlemen (mostly ladies, though:), Rakiku Inoe (me) is since Thursday officially sixteen years of age! Whooooop! I got a classic dancing pro shoes, since in my country (Czech republic), there's this almost-a-tradition-now, that all young in age 15-19 (or something like that) attend a dance-classes. Dance meaning a classic dance, so things like waltz, foxtrot, blues etc, included. Beside a fact I totally embarrassed myself on the first lesson with my absolute inability to dance and coordinate my moves - well, I'm pretty excited about it. Also, there's a huge amount of handsome guys. Well, it's a huge amount for me, because I attend a small school (less than 200 students) where you know everything about everybody. Even the professors. Kind of creepy.**

**I also apologize for all the mistakes in this (and possibly the previous and surely the following) chapter because I'm so tired I just want to post this shit up and be done with it. No revising, sorry.**

**So, another update? Don't make me laugh...**

**Thanks so much for the reviews for the previous chapter, I'm glad at least someone's interested...**

**Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand please please please please please please please please please (I didn't use ctrl+c ctrl+v) :D REVIEW! I'm going to love you for forever!**

**Inoe ... NANANANANANANA... Srsly, time to end this shit.**


	3. Chapter II

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto series and stuff related.**

As soon as she left the gates, she regretted it. It was a horrendous feeling, going against her basic instincts of returning home and instead seeking comfort in the notorious woods surrounding the capital. But her steps didn't falter once.

She was now walking for well over an hour and her feet were starting to tingle from the constant tripping over loose roots. It seemed as if the forest itself didn't wish for her to continue and every time she heard a twig snap, her heart skipped a beat. In her mind she was picturing the most terrifying of creatures attacking her from the shadows and with that her pace was slower and slower.

Suddenly an especially loud howl could be heard and as a result, Sakura tripped and landed face first onto the cold and hard ground. For the longest time she didn't move. Her eyes stayed closed and if you looked closely, you could see transparent liquid leaking out. She was crying, the tears of frustration, exhaustion and sadness making their way down her dirt stained face.

"Grandpa…" she muttered and covered her mouth to contain the uncontrollable sobbing. Only now, after she stopped walking and broke down on the ground, could she feel all the scratches that were marring her bare knees and face. Her hair were tangled from the tree branches and her palms were now just a bloodied mess.

"Oh God…" whispered Sakura as soon as she saw what have become of her. Slowly, she rose to her feet again and ran her hand through her hair. It was very long and now very tangled and right then, Sakura felt indescribable disgust towards what once was admired by all.

It was because of her hair that all of this happened. Because of this horrible trait her mother had left her with, that she was now alone and lost in the woods. That she was wanted as a concubine- no, wanted as a whore- for that damned prince! She fingered the long hunting knife strapped to her thigh.

"_Might as well make a good use of it_." she thought and with a quick jerk she pulled it out of its sheath. Without hesitation she took a hold of her braided pink tresses and with one resolute slash she cut off her pride at the base of her neck. The pink braid fell to the ground along with a lot of splattered locks and Sakura stared at it with tears prickling at the back of her eyes. Then, quickly, she bent and pocketed a few strands, before looking to the starry sky which was partially covered by the massive tree branches.

Never was she this far in the woods and at night, it seemed almost like a magical place to her.

As a pharmacist, she greatly loved herbs and everything nature related and so even after all these times she had tripped, she did not hold a grudge against the trees. "_They look almost like old wizards..." _thought Sakura. "_Dreaming their endless dreams, not caring about the changing world. I wish I could be like that…"_

_Snap! _ Sakura was brought out of her reverie when another twig snapped not far from her. She quickly gathered her things and looked around, trying to figure out from which direction she came and where does the Land of Ignis lie.

The rustling was dangerously nearing her location and so she sped of into the woods once again, not caring about the direction anymore. It was hard, navigating through the thick forest with the moon as the only light source, but her eyes were accommodated by this time and although her feet were hurting, her small frame and agility helped her with a quick escape.

In no time, the night became silent again and Sakura found herself utterly lost. New wave of panic was rising inside her until she noticed something astounding right in front of her. She had to rub her eyes because right here, in the middle of nowhere was a rather large stone hut, complete with everything from porch to chimney.

Sakura nearly started crying again, this time because of happiness. Although she wasn't sure whether she reached the Land of Ignis or not, she knew for sure the message of her escape didn't reach this godforsaken place just yet. And that meant she was safe for now.

~~~o~~~

Sakura felt stupid. As stupid as never before, really. How could she ever think that a hut in the middle of the woods could possibly be inhabited? That's right, the hut was as deserted as it looked and Sakura was now curled up in the darkest corner of the front porch, shivering from the cold under her large cloak.

When she realized she won't be getting any help at this place, she was ready to rip the rest of her hair out. Then, her rational side kicked in and she decided to spend the night here - the animals probably stayed away from the place and at least she wouldn't have to deal with the rain. That being cleared up, she gathered enough dry wood to make a decent fire and when she warmed up a bit, she unpacked her medical-kit and set to work.

Her wounds actually looked much better under the warm glow of fire and the pain was starting to fade away too. She disinfected her palms and knees with the little amount of alcohol she was carrying around (only for medical purposes, of course) and then proceeded to wrap them in bandages. She washed her face, so that the scratches won't get infected by the dirt and then packed her stuff again.

The fire was starting to make her really drowsy and so she quickly ate a steamed bun Muchi gave her, to prevent stomach cramps in the morning, before she put out the fire, hid her backpack under some loose planks and snuggled herself deeper into the cloak.

In a minute, she was fast asleep, unaware of the dangers awaiting her.

~~~o~~~

Naruto was excited. Delighted, zealous - call it what you want. The point was, when this young man was happy, the whole flipping country knew about it. His booming voice and obnoxious laughter echoed all around the woods and gave away the impression of him being hopelessly dumb. But no, he wasn't dumb…

"…_he's even worse than that." _thought Ino, as she struggled to keep up with him, dodging trees, spider-webs and other disgusting things that were bound to appear in a forest. Sometimes, she regretted ever accepting the role of an official guard and attendant of the second prince of the Land of Ignis. But then she remembered that without her (and without Shikamaru and Kiba), this idiot would be as good as dead, and as much as she'd like to keep her cool image, she didn't think she could survive that.

"You okay, Ino?" called a worried voice to her left and she turned her head slightly so she could see Kiba, who was smiling at her with his wide smile and waving his hand like an idiot. The pretty blonde rolled her eyes. "_I swear, these two idiots were looking for each other, seriously." _But still, she raised her own hand and offered a smile of her own. "I'm fine!" she called out and at the same time, she hit a branch that was too low for her to evade in time. With her face.

Naruto, who was running in the front with Shikamaru, stopped dead in his tracks when he heard an ear-splitting scream. "Ino!" muttered Shikamaru, panicked, and in the next second he was at the blonde's side, helping her to her feet again. Ino was covering her bleeding nose with her palm, while she glared daggers at Kiba - because whose fault was it that her beautiful nose might be broken now?!

The young prince walked over to the group of his friends and looked over Ino's injury worriedly. "This should get treated right away - does any of you have your healing supplies?" All three of them shook their heads no and Naruto sighed. "Welp, not much we can do 'bout it then… but that place is just a bit further ahead, so pull yourself together, Ino!"

Ino sighed and muttered: "I'm the only one who's not making a big deal out of it, you know…" but it went unnoticed by any of her male friends. She begrudgingly took the hand Kiba offered her and the band set out.

Naruto was still pleased with himself, because once again, he managed to sneak out of the castle without anyone noticing him, and even before his older brother could send anybody to force him into doing his paperwork for him. Now he was free for two whole days - and like every time he managed to spare himself some of that filthy office work, he was heading towards his only safe haven, the royal family's long forgotten summer house in the middle of the woods.

In fact, the second prince was so pleased with himself, that he didn't pay proper attention to where he was going and instead moved on an autopilot. Soon, the rather tall stone wall shielding the hut from this side came into view and he expertly jumped over it. Only, he didn't expect that cloaked someone sitting on the porch, _just in the place he was about to land on. _Not really thinking, he managed to kick himself off of the wall and landed a few feet to the right, successfully evading the mysterious person but at the same time, twisting his ankle.

"Holy cow!" he shrieked (like a man, he shrieked like a man…) and grabbed his leg, trying to numb the pain. His head shot up when he heard a silent groan coming from the direction of that goddamn stranger. Only now he realized that that person was up until now sleeping, and his manly cry of pain just woke him up. "_Well, at least we're now even, bastard…" _he grumbled, but still stood up awkwardly and went to stand in front of the stranger.

"Hey."

No answer. Then- "Huh? W-what's going on? Who are you?"

It was a girl's voice and Naruto immediately switched to his gentle and friendly voice. "Erm, I'm Naruto. But you know, I think I should ask you the same question, since you were sleeping on my front porch…" he thought he heard her utter a surprised "Ah…" but couldn't be sure, because the girl kept her head lowered and a large hood was covering her hair and face.

"Um, I'm Sakura. I-I'm sorry for staying here. I'll be on my way…" and she quickly grabbed her things before turning on her heal and hurrying away. That's when Naruto saw the glint of a hunting knife strapped to her thigh and his eyes narrowed. What was that person doing in the middle of the woods, anyway? And these bloody bandages were suspicious, too…"

Without thinking, he drew his sword and the sound caught the girl's attention. She wasn't able to make a sound as he lashed out at her - and pulled her hood down with the sword's tip. Both of them stood frozen in place. The girl was obviously too terrified to move, while Naruto stopped for a whole another reason.

"_Whoaaaa…" _he thought when the hood had fallen off and the girls face showed up. Actually, it wasn't the face that struck him first - it was her hair. He had never saw a color so bright or so beautiful. It was a soft hue of pink, like clouds at the sunset. They were cut messily and were very dirty with a few twigs in them, but still creating a mysterious halo around the girl's pale face, so only her eyes shone brightly through her locks, like the eyes of a wild cat shine in the night. Naruto will never forget the first time he saw these eyes, the first time he saw _her._

"So it's like that. "

Both of them were disturbed by Shikamaru, who stood further away from them and observed Sakura. She looked at him, frightened, because no matter how you look at it, Shikamaru's unreadable face and no-nonsense voice were a bit scary, that is, if you didn't know his real shy self.

"What do you mean, Shika?" asked Naruto, puzzled. "What's like what?"

Shikamaru looked as if he wanted to hit Naruto with something heavy. But he just shrugged and sighed. "Okay, listen carefully now. This morning, just before we set out, a messenger from the Kingdom of Echo arrived. Of course, I was interested so I listened in on his conversation with your older brother. He said that a dangerous woman - a criminal - escaped the castle's dungeons and that they're expecting her to run to the Land of Ignis for help. He also said that this woman possessed a rare trait - beautiful pink hair."

Sakura couldn't believe her ears. She knew that prince Sasuke was a very stubborn man who always got what he wanted, but to dirty her name - her grandfather's name - with a filthy gossip like this?! To call her a criminal of all things, rather than admit he was looking for her because he was lusting after her?! It was unheard of.

Naruto was surprised too. This girl, Sakura, looked so sweet and fragile. How possibly could she be dangerous? But then again, why would she be carrying around that hunting knife… His eyes narrowed again and he turned to the shaking girl.

"Is it true, Sakura? Are you really a criminal?" he asked her, pain portraying in his sky blue eyes. He still couldn't believe it. Sakura looked horrified but then quickly raised her chin defiantly. "Of course it isn't true! That evil bastard Sasuke made it all up so he wouldn't have to state the original reason of why he's looking for me!"

Shikamaru glared at her. "Oh yeah? I wonder what that might be…" Sakura inwardly screeched at him but before she could actually say something in her defense, a figure appeared in front of her with hands spread wide, as if shielding her against the boys.

"I'll tell you why, Shika." It was Ino and fury laced her every word. Sakura could only stare at the tall and pretty blonde with blue fire burning in her eyes, as Ino started explaining.

"Can't you see she's obviously from the Kingdom of Echo?" she practically yelled at the now astounded looking man. "Ino… well, yes, of course she is from Echo, that's what all this is about…"

Ino ignored him. "And what do you know about Sasuke, the second prince of said kingdom?"

Shikamaru scratched the back of his neck, looking to the trees nervously. "Well, he's a spoiled brat. Nothing interesting about him… it's his older brother who's gonna be the king one day, anyway."

Ino was still staring him down harshly. "Clever boy. We're getting closer. Now, what do you know about this brat's… way of spending his free time?" Shikamaru's eyes grew large. "You can't possibly be thinking…" He understood. Ino puffed her chest out proudly. "Exactly."

However, Shikamaru was still skeptical. "How can we be so sure? What if she really is a criminal?" Ino sent him a death glare, but answered him anyway. "That's because this had happened before. A year ago, there was the same message. About how a girl - not even a woman! - who was supposedly a murderer escaped from the castle. So either the Kingdom of Echo has a damn high ratio of girl/woman criminals, or our little princeling has found a new way of capturing his trophies." Ino looked even more satisfied after finishing this speech, while Shikamaru's shoulders sank and he slowly turned to Sakura, who was now confused as hell and felt like passing out from these strange and overwhelming people any second.

"I'm really sorry. I just - I guess I didn't expect-" she silenced him with a wave of her hand. "It's okay, really. I understand your suspicion and I'm sorry myself. For, you know, using your porch and stuff…"

And thus the situation have calmed down. Except-

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU PEOPLE TALKING ABOUT!"

Ino, Shikamaru and Kiba all facepalmed at the same time, while Sakura jumped from how loud his voice was. In the end, Shikamaru started explaining the story to Naruto, looking so tired, as if the weight of the whole world was on his shoulders.

"What we wanted to say-" he started "-is, that Sakura isn't a criminal. That was just an excuse made up by the second prince of Echo, Sasuke, to find her and bring her to him." Naruto still looked a bit lost. "But why would he want her?" Shikamaru shot Ino a pleading look and Ino just rolled her eyes.

"Now listen here, silly. Sasuke is known worldwide about his- desire in women." Naruto went completely red and even Sakura's face was tinted a little pink. Kiba just smirked. He knew Ino was enjoying taunting their innocent minds and he could practically feel her basking in the deliciousness of their embarrassment.

"He has the biggest harem of all five great kingdoms and it's all made up from special women. Special in appearance - exotic features, skin or hair colors… things like that. Of course Sakura would catch his attention. And I really am not surprised she would want to disappear from his grasp. He's a freak. That's why she escaped and that's why he's looking for her. End of story."

Naruto could only stare. Then he turned to the pinkette and looked to the ground. "I'm really sorry. I never thought…" but he was interrupted by Sakura's cry of: "Oh my god, your leg!" and before he could protest, she was by his side, pushing his shoulders so that he would sit down and let her take a look at it. Naruto inwardly mused about how such a petite girl can posses so much power.

When Kiba noticed his prince's injury as well, he quickly opened the front door and hushed everyone in. Naruto was plopped on the couch, not really knowing what's going on, meanwhile Sakura was already preparing a bucket with water and unpacking her medical kit.

Between these chores, she explained: "I'm a pharmacist, so I can help you heal your ankle. I will also take care of your nose, as soon as this is over." She said to Ino without actually looking at her, too focused at the task at hand. Ino smiled and moved to help her, holding Naruto down because the blonde was rather reluctant to get treated like a kid by a girl.

Shikamaru quickly lost interest in watching his friend squirm and instead started preparing the fireplace - Kiba, on the other hand, sat himself on a couch opposite of the struggling Naruto and looked positively pleased with the sight.

Finally, Naruto gave up and sunk deeper into the couch, letting Sakura massage his foot with some foul smelling oil. "So, Sakura... where were you planning to go? The Land of Ignis? Or were you just planning to stay in the woods?" Sakura shuddered a bit at the thought.

"I thought about settling in some small village by the Ignis's coast... and maybe I would even sail the Great Ocean..." Naruto looked horrified. "No way Sakura! That's so dangerous, I heard there's this pirate organization, raiding all the ships and running a slavery business and everything! You should totally stay with us!" Sakura was taken aback. "W-what? That's not..." Ino slapped her on the back. "Come on, Sakura! This is the first time in a long while Naruto actually said something reasonable! And you should see the palace, it's amazing..."

Sakura looked over her shoulder at Ino. "You mean, you guys are from a palace? The Castle of Flames? Really?" Ino smacked her forehead. "Oh right, I totally forgot! This blond idiot right here is the second prince, you see?"

The pinkette's eyes bulged. "Whaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!"

~~~o~~~

**Okay guys, I know the ending was a bit awkward and everything but I had to cut it because it was just getting soooooooo long. Also, quite a lot of dialogues in this one, huh... welp, what is done is done.**

**So, we meet again. After half a year. I will just go kill myself, no need to tell me that -.-'**

**Well, I don't really know what to add to this, just another chapter because I felt like it, next chapter expect sometime never. I've heard one author say that she will never abandon her stories, never ever, not even in a thirty years of time. I can't say the same goes for me, as my updating is so... you get the point. So I just wanted to say, if I don't update my other stories (or this one) it might be possible I won't update them at all in the future. But I will try.**

**Now, that was positive, wasn't it? :D**

**Oh, right! I wrote a oneshot some time ago called Elevator, it is SasuSaku (I know I hate Sasuke but he just fit the male character of the story so ftw) and I wanted to try another one. So yeah, I'm thinking about a NejiTen songfic and I'm probably going to write it right now, because I'm just in the mood. It's going to be sad. Because Kishimoto made me sad. It was a while ago, but I'm still sad. I'm sad Kishi, can you hear me?! Ugh, that guy...**

**Meh, I'm just babbling now so I'll end it. **

**Check out my other stories, plz~**

**Review~**

**See ya!**

**Inoe **


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